It sure seemed like God was the cause of Israel’s pain. After all, God is the one who “whistled” for the nations to come plunder God’s people (Isa 7:18). He is the one who controlled the nations and engineered the utter devastation of the nation of Israel. 

But in chapter 12 of Isaiah, a song of praise by the people claims that God is their salvation (12:2). Really? So God brought destruction and later restored the people, and thus became their savior? You might say this is fallacious and at best deceptive.

You can compare this to a doctor performing an operation on a patient. Although the patient has a disease or malfunction within, he is still able to walk around and perform most daily tasks. The patient looks fine, but internally, he is headed for disaster. 

The operation causes “damage” and pain, but removes the internal problem. The patient may have walked into the hospital on their own, but after the surgery and recovery, he has to return home on a wheelchair. By all external indicators, his condition has declined. 

So, yes, God is the cause of their pain, and ultimately he has a plan for them. God’s plan is not to destroy them but to bless them and to give them a great future. The only way they can have that wonderful future is for the people to walk in God’s ways. 

Thus we come to this song of praise in Isaiah 12, where the people acknowledge God as their savior. All of what God did was part of God’s plan to save them from their own vices and the trajectory of decline and ultimate disaster. 

When God’s work in restoration is complete, they can speak to the nations (12:4) and declare His deeds to them. This was exactly God’s plan for his people. To walk in God’s ways, and to declare to the nations the deeds of their savior. 

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